Local Theatre in Wellington

This collection is comprised of ephemera and photographs donated to Wellington City Libraries by various individuals and theatre groups in the 1970’s and 80’s. Donors include Percy and Phyllis Cousins (Peter Pan Players), Barbara Rosenes, and Pat Hawthorne (Downstage Theatre). We hope this can act as a small but comprehensive archive of community and professional theatre in Wellington.

Our earliest programme is for a production by the Wellington Amateur Operatic Society in 1915, though theatre had been around in Wellington for much longer. The Royal Victoria Theatre opened in Manners Street in 1843 to a drama scene led mostly by European settlers and later touring groups. This trend continued for some time with the Australian company J.C. Williamson bringing touring shows to New Zealand towns from the late 1800s. They became the primary lessee of the Wellington Opera House where fashionable locals could experience musical comedies and pantomimes by some of the best actors and singers in the English-speaking world.

The 1920s and 30s saw the formation of some of Wellington’s most long-standing theatre groups, including the Wellington Repertory Theatre and Peter Pan Players. These smaller groups often did not have buildings of their own and performed in community halls or, in the case of larger audiences, at the St. James Theatre or the Town Hall. Downstage Theatre emerged in 1964 as our first professional theatre company and continued to bring both international and locally written entertainment to Wellington well into the 21st Century. 

Later items from this collection highlight the creative boost seen in the 1980's with the formation of small theatre companies and local co-operatives raising money for social causes. Several theatres hosted special performances to support the 'Stop the '81 Tour' campaign while the formation of The New Depot in particular offered amateur performers a space to establish themselves.

Other companies represented in this collection include BATS Theatre Co., K.A.T. (Khandallah Arts Theatre), Stagecraft and The New Players.